There is nothing as magical as couture. Exclusive and exuberant, the designers who can pull off couture are few and far between. It would be difficult, and crass, to say that any couture show is better than the other, as each and every one has it's own beauty to it. Therefore, I can't describe this list as the "Best of Couture", just as a compilation of my favorites for Spring 2015.
I love Elie Saab, and love is not a word I use lightly.
There is not one designer who can create clothing like his, so exceptional,
effervescent and elegant that it could bring a tear to a bloggers eye. Some may
say Saab is slightly predictable, but why change something perfect? He infused
freshness into his brand by adorning the dresses with dramatic ostrich feather,
and shimmering floral paillettes. It may be glamour at its highest point, but
Saab’s collection also drew deep personal roots, with prints taken from a tulip
dress his mother wore as a child. If anything, these pieces served as an
alternative to those who want to wear Saab but aren’t fans of the sheer. All in
all, Saab does it again, and if I had it my way, Saab would be all we would
ever wear.
You should know by now that I’m a slave to pairings of the
unconventional. Hence, it’s not suprising that I was set up to love the
Giambattista Vali show, which paired the aesthetics of Coco Chanel and Janis
Joplin. Although it may seem like an impossible pairing, let us not forget that
Chanel was none less of an aesthetic ground-breaker than Janis. In her time,
she was seen as a style rebel, and frequently broke the norms to create new styles
for the IT woman to wear. Giamba took the styles of these two icons and veiled
them with a thin layer of spring, where pastels meet acidic tones and dainty
flowers spring from the seams. The wide-legged trousers overlaid by a flowing
dress were particularly literal interpretations of Joplin, with tweed blazers
serving as the Coco counterpart. This was what couture is meant to be;
intricate, inspired and iridescent.
It could’ve been a sad show at Gaultier today. His first
show since terminating his ready to wear line last September, the show could have
been a post-battle wound lick. That is, unless you’re Jean-Paul Gaultier and
title your show “61 ways to say Yes”. Gaultier doesn’t do sad, and this show
proved that point. Instead, he brings fun to what was an otherwise very serious
week of Couture. I mean, the man closed his show with Naomi Campbell
representing a bridal bouquet. The brides walked down the runway in hybrid
creations blurring the masculine and the feminine, in combinations of both the
strict and the reckless. Particularly outrageous was Lindsey Wixson in a beekeepers
outfit and hair done to resemble a wedding cake. Gaultier puts the Show in
Fashion Show, and couture is no exception. In conclusion: Was it camp? Yes. Was
it utterly fabulous? Absolutely.
Being an Eastern European, I was born with a love of Russian
romanticism. Also, as an Eastern European, I can understand the narcissism
behind the Ulyana Sergeenko brand. Looking at the clothes, the message is
clear, Ulyana is her own muse. Hourglass silhouettes with sharply tailored fits
mimic the clothes she herself has worn since being thrust in the spotlight. Her
collections are celebrations of Russian culture, and experiments into how far
you can really go with detailing and embellishment. Hers is a Russian Dolce
& Gabbana world, less Italian but even more feminine. This collection was
particularly stunning; with so many intricate details one could stare at each
garment for hours. It was the type of clothing you’d expect Audrey Hepburn to
wear if she had played Anna Karenina. Ulyana may be selling herself as a brand,
but who wouldn’t want to be part of the Russian Princesses world?
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